Page 44 of Forest Reed
It was over.
Relief cracked through me so hard my knees almost buckled. “Forest.” My voice came out hoarse, ragged.
He turned, and for a heartbeat he didn’t look like the man I knew—just a soldier still wired for war, eyes sharp, jaw locked. Then he saw me, really saw me, and the steel cracked.
“I told you,” he said, voice raw, “it ends tonight.”
I closed the space between us, hands gripping his shirt, pulling him down into me like I had to feel him alive to believe it. His arms wrapped around me, crushing, grounding, his heartbeat pounding against mine.
“It’s over,” I whispered into his chest. “It’s really over.”
His lips brushed my hair. “Yeah. But not for us. Never for us.”
Forest
The SEALs arrived minutes later,fanning out across the ridge. Fraiser bent over North’s body, checking the pulse he already knew wasn’t there. He looked up at me, gave one sharp nod. “Dead. For good.”
It’s a damn good thing you found out about this, or it would have been the end for every town around here and a lot of lives. Thank you for saving our Mountain and our valley and the folks that live here.”
Max exhaled hard, his rifle dropping to his side. “Whole town’s gonna breathe easier tonight.”
Axel gave a short laugh, shaking his head. “About damn time someone put this bastard in the ground.”
Jack Raider grinned, shotgun slung casually across his shoulder. “Betting pool’s over. Drinks are on me when this is wrapped.”
Nate’s gaze swept the treeline, then landed on me. His eyes were steady. “You did what had to be done.”
I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. My arms were still around Zoe, her face buried in my chest, and for the first time in too long, I let myself breathe.
The mountain was ours again.
But as I looked down at North’s blood soaking into the dirt, I knew the scars he left would linger—on the town, on Zoe, on me.
Still… he was gone.
And I wasn’t letting her go.
THE END
Epilogue
Zoe
I’d been through gunfights, explosions, and one very determined psychopath—but nothing rattled me like the little white stick shaking in my hand.
Four months. I counted back, it’s been four freaking months since I’ve had a period. Why haven’t I noticed that?
Four. Months.
Forest sat across from me at Lane’s kitchen table, staring at the same test like it might sprout fangs. His knuckles were white on the edge of his chair, jaw working but no words coming out.
“This is… impossible,” he muttered.
I rubbed my temples. “You said that about the bomb at the dam, too, remember? Spoiler alert—it wasn’t. We never used anything.”
Jason, bless him, had the good sense to back quietly out of the room with his coffee mug, muttering, “Nope. Not my fight.”
That left me, Forest, and Lane—who was leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, clearly enjoying every second.
